What Turns You Off Buying

[grandmoon]

a house.  Friend has had her house on the market for sometime now and they haven't had even one offer.

So what would turn you off buying a house so we can check and improve her chances of a sale.

[azureline**]

Clutter, gardens that look high maintainance, grubby kitchens and bathrooms.

[grandmoon]

We will have a good look at the garden, it may needs so work out there.

[lurker172602]

Clutter. It makes rooms look smaller but more importantly it personalises a space and doesn't allow the buyer to imagine their own furniture and things there. Get rid of it, you can always bring it back out of storage after you move to the new place if you're that attached it to.

Storage problems. Don't have any things out that should have a place in a cupboard etc. Hide it if you have to. I know I carted stuff around in my car when we were selling rather than having it show up our lack of storage space.

Over optimistic pricing. I know everyone lists a higher price than they will accept so they have negotiation room, but don't put people off by setting it so high they won't even bother to look.

Photographs. Get a professional photographer to take your internet pictures. Happy snaps won't cut it. Viewers will just click on through. Don't be afraid to tell your realtor if you're not happy with them either. I made them photoshop a toilet brush out of our ensuite shot cause I thought it looked ugly and messy.

[soulart2]

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

This house will be going on the market soon.  Had the gardens tidied up and mulched....check.

Sold most of the furniture, going through my art room and taking "stuff" to the Tender Centre to sell, so there won't be any clutter that's for sure.....check.

New kitchen....check

Being painted atm and will have all the windows,screens cleaned....check

Only problem with this house is that it only has one bathroom but new owners could do what I was going to do, turn one of the bedrooms upstairs into a bathroom.

[grandmoon]

I told her that she should remove most of her family photos (at least 60 of them) by her family said they make the place look like a family home.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Have you had a quote on the upstairs bathroom (potential)?

Just in case it is mentioned, someone could ask that. Then it is either a positive if not horrendous, or a negative if it sounds too much.

[amber-eyed-girl]

I agree with removing most of the photos. A couple, make the house a home. A lot make clutter to the stranger who is looking.

[daydream**believer]

My neighbours put their house on the market last year and couldnt sell it.

To us, the price they had on it was too much. I believe they priced it based on their loves and memories in the house instead of what the housing market was.

They had the house rendered and gardens tidied up a few months ago and put it on the market again. Price originally was $495 000 to $525 000 (still too much)

They then dropped it a month later to $485 000 and it has sold.

Low maintenance gardens, a nice kitchen and bathroom are a big selling point. People see kitchens and bathrooms as big expenses to fix up so they want them perfect

[amber-eyed-girl]

Recently had two house sales in the family. The RE advice, from two different agents was:

Get rid of clutter to make it attractive and seem bigger.
Hire beds for any bedrooms that did not have one. The more bedrooms, the better price.
Get a professional in to tidy up any garden.
Make sure everything is clean on inspection. Clean bathroom, no signs of use such as wet towels and wet soap.
Make sure photos are at a minimum. It makes people feel they are in Your home, and stops them seeing it as theirs.
Fresh flowers in the entrance hall or somewhere family-orientated like the dining table. Feels welcoming.
Remove excess furniture to a friend's place or storage.
Fix any obvious cosmetic damage such as large plaster cracks. The first impression should be of space and welcome, and look easy to maintain.